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Project Octopath Traveler Demo Impressions

Square Enix recently released a demo of Project Octopath Traveler on the Nintendo Switch. Traveler is a “2D-HD” turn-based RPG developed by Square Enix and Acquire. It currently does not have any firm release date beyond 2018.

So what is “2D-HD”? 2D-HD takes 2D sprites and surrounds them with 2.5D environments and modern special effects. It is a very unique approach. I feel that the environment and special effects look awesome, but the sprites were somewhat disappointing. The sprites seemed to lack detail and looked very blocky (especially on a big TV). Maybe I am spoiled with more modern sprites, but it feels like they could have spent some more time with the artwork... Read All Square Enix recently released a demo of Project Octopath Traveler on the Nintendo Switch. Traveler is a “2D-HD” turn-based RPG developed by Square Enix and Acquire. It currently does not have any firm release date beyond 2018.

So what is “2D-HD”? 2D-HD takes 2D sprites and surrounds them with 2.5D environments and modern special effects. It is a very unique approach. I feel that the environment and special effects look awesome, but the sprites were somewhat disappointing. The sprites seemed to lack detail and looked very blocky (especially on a big TV). Maybe I am spoiled with more modern sprites, but it feels like they could have spent some more time with the artwork here.

The demo comes with two of the eight classes enabled. They are the warrior and the dancer. I put some time in with the warrior and enjoyed the turn-based battle system. It has the standard fare of abilities, defense and attacks, but it also adds in a way to boost your attack. After each turn, you get another dot on your boost meter, which you can use during your next attack. You can chain up to three boosts in one turn, which makes for some strong attacks. Boosts can be combined with your normal attack and your abilities.

Each class has a unique ability that can be performed outside of battle. In the case of the warrior, he can challenge people to a battle. When you challenge another character, you will see their ranking in a five star based scale. One star is easy whereas five is hard. In the demo, most of the time these battles lead to experience and money, but sometimes it will complete a quest. This is an interesting addition to the turn-based RPG, but I found that I was getting bored with challenging people. Maybe if they put it to better use in the full game, it could be fun, but who knows what their grand plan is.

Outside of challenging people, the majority of battles happen randomly while you wander around the world. It is no different that other turn-based RPGs in this aspect.

I found that the warrior’s story was not very strong and kind of boring. He is a fallen warrior that failed to protect somebody from being killed. He then moves to a town under a different name and tries to lead a quiet life until a group of brigands threaten the town and kidnap a boy. At that point you go save the boy and your identity is revealed. I just did not care for the character all that much and found the dialogue to be bland.

I plan on giving the dancer a try to see if her story is more compelling. I want to love this game, but in the end, I felt that it is not the strongest turn-based RPG. They also need to find a new name for this game, I can never remember it.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/23/2017 at 01:49am

Wow, I absolutely love the 2D-HD look! I agree the sprites could be nicer, but I'm not offended by them. I really like the visual style.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/23/2017 at 02:50am

Seems like a mix of Dragon Age Origins(each class had a different intro story) and the the main game picks up and it sort of comes together similarly.

One question about how Demo's work on the Switch. Is it a timed demo or a locked based on an amount of plays? I found many of the demos on the 3DS are locked by a certain amount of plays and that always seemed odd to me as most demos i've ever played were just of the first few levels.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/23/2017 at 03:24am

It is locked based on areas of map and story. So there are areas where it says you can't go there in the demo.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 12:23am

I tried the dancer and couldn't go through with playing her demo story. I just was not interested. We will see if the story improves in the final game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/24/2017 at 01:53am

Hope so.

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The Super Nintendo Classic Drops Next Week!

The Super Nintendo Classic drops next week and i'm pretty excited about it. Even though i'm going to get my pre-order and immediately put it away to open for Christmas, it's still cool that it's coming. Most people that pre-ordered it won't be waiting until Christmas to play it so i'm really eager to read their reviews of the system... *ahem* Travis.

Nintendo has said stock will be increased so... it's possible you might be able to find them in stores September 29th. If you are planning on going to one opening day let me know, I think I will just to see how many people show up to get one.

Interviews With The Original SNES Game Developers

If you need to fill your face... Read All The Super Nintendo Classic drops next week and i'm pretty excited about it. Even though i'm going to get my pre-order and immediately put it away to open for Christmas, it's still cool that it's coming. Most people that pre-ordered it won't be waiting until Christmas to play it so i'm really eager to read their reviews of the system... *ahem* Travis.

Nintendo has said stock will be increased so... it's possible you might be able to find them in stores September 29th. If you are planning on going to one opening day let me know, I think I will just to see how many people show up to get one.

Interviews With The Original SNES Game Developers

If you need to fill your face with more Super Nintendo themed glory you can head over to the Super Nintendo Classic page to read all the interviews with the SNES Classic game developers. The interviews cover Star Fox, Star Fox 2, F-Zero & Super Metroid and from the looks of it there will be three more to come.

https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic

Prima's Playing With Super Power Guide Got An UnBoxing Video

Prima made the guide for the NES Classic and if you love classic gaming Magazines and have a soft spot in your heart for Nintendo Power you really should check it out. I bought the softcover Playing with Power and it's a really special book that covers the origins of the NES and how the games evolved over time. Playing with Power only covers the Nintendo first party games on the NES Classic but if you didn't memorize the location of every item in Metroid it's pretty nice to have it all laid out in something made of dead trees.

Because the NES Classic book did well Prima is doing another for the SNES Classic and recently they released a unboxing video for it. Surprisingly the video has no audio, which is weird but manageable. The unboxing video is for the hardcover version which actually comes in a Super Nintendo Style box and the book looks like a Super Nintendo Game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcYV11NAo04
https://www.primagames.com/games/nintendo-snes-classics/products/playing-super-power-nintendo-snes-classics-collectors-ediiton

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/23/2017 at 12:34am

I may try to get one at Toys R Us. We will see how long the line is if I get there an hour before opening.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 12:02am

Right. I guess if there is are angry villagers outside with pitchforks you could always come back later.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/24/2017 at 02:04am

Wow, this snuck up on me. This month is flying! I can't wait to get my mitts on this thing.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 02:55am

> Wow, this snuck up on me. This month is flying! I can't wait to get my mitts on this thing.

Review when it does?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 02:55am

Will, check this: https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/911785945464061952

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/24/2017 at 03:31am

Awesome. Hopefully I will be able the snag one.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 10:49pm

TechCrunch initial impression https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/22/i-have-an-snes-classic-edition-and-it-rules/

Travis Admin wrote on 09/25/2017 at 01:58am

That TechCrunch first impression is such a tease! :D

Still super stoked. And yeah, I'll definitely do a review of it!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/25/2017 at 03:58pm

So the controllers have the same connector as the NES classic? If so, I think I will use my extension cord from the nes classic controllers on this (if I get one).

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/25/2017 at 06:30pm

Man, it is super hard to pass on this! I want all these games, but I just don't think I'd play it much more than for a couple weeks and then forget about it (that's what happened to my NES Classic at least)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/25/2017 at 09:49pm

The controller connectors are the same and I plan on using my NES Classic extensions on it too!

Here are some numbers to what Best Buy stores are getting supply wise(so far, looks like a good amount):

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/912396251181678592

Travis Admin wrote on 09/26/2017 at 01:25pm

I guess with the extension cords you could also use the Wii Classic controller too, which is handy. It's nice of them to standardize those connections across their systems.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/26/2017 at 06:04pm

I took Friday off from work, so I can hunt for a system. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/26/2017 at 06:16pm

Good luck Will!

Travis Admin wrote on 09/26/2017 at 06:22pm

I have Monday off so I’m hoping the Walmart preorders go out early. Doubtful though

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New Guild Wars 2 Expansion Path of Fire Launches September 22nd

Guild Wars 2 is an excellent MMO where the base game is free to play and only requires you purchase the expansions. The base game is very fun and even though I haven't quite completed all of it I can imagine the expansions are just as good and it looks to get even better with Path of Fire.

"Balthazar threatens the Crystal Desert and adjoining kingdom of Elona with his Forged legions. Explore vast new maps filled with magic-drenched desert plains, ancient temples and ruins, and beautiful oases. Uncover the secrets of Tyria's history, and discover the fate of the Elonian people after years of silence."

Path of Fire is getting a revamp to the mount system, elite... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 09/20/2017 at 01:29pm

I haven't played all of the first expansion, but I completed the story of the main game and have done some endgame content. GW2 is the most satisfying MMO I've ever played, and my wife and I still dive back into it occasionally.

I love that they make their server upkeep money with cosmetic microtransactions, so there's no monthly subscription. I feel like I can enjoy it the way I want. With a subscription I feel like I have to play it a certain amount every month to get my money's worth. It's the free-to-play model but you have to buy the game first (their actual free-to-play version is limited) and there aren't any pay-to-win items. A few convenience items, nothing at all gamebreaking. It's the perfect MMO model I think.

But this expansion totally missed my radar, I had no idea it was coming! A rogue god? Mounts!? I'm stoked!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/22/2017 at 10:59pm

> GW2 is the most satisfying MMO I've ever played, and my wife and I still dive back into it occasionally.

It's one of the best i've played too. I had an incredible amount of fun with Lord of the Rings Online when some friends and I played that a couple years back. GW2 is up there, hard to say which I liked more. One thing that keeps me thinking it might be LoTRO is that you could kill bears get the pelts and make armor. Something about that crafting system and the trees in that game really made me happy. Not my wife though, whenever I killed a bear she got pretty upset even though I told her I used the pelts to make armor! No digital eWaste.

> I love that they make their server upkeep money with cosmetic microtransactions, so there's no monthly subscription. I feel like I can enjoy it the way I want.

Me too. I don't mind paying for games but I do mind a monthly sub because it sort of feels like an obligation and if I don't play it "enough" I am really wasting money.

> But this expansion totally missed my radar, I had no idea it was coming! A rogue god? Mounts!? I'm stoked!

I know you've been all over the Diablo III Necro content but do you think you might get this expansion? There is a cart bundle where you can this expansion AND the other one together. That seems like a lot of GW2 to play.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/23/2017 at 02:53am

Yeah Katie and I got it. Don't know when we will get back into it but we will. It's a game that we seem to play for about two months a year and that's great. When it gets old we put it away for a while.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2017 at 04:53pm

That's a good cycle with games. I do the same and the games stay fresh when I come back later to play it.

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Guns 'N' Stories: Bulletproof VR - Early Impressions

Guns 'N' Stories is an early access VR wave shooter set in the old west. It is being developed by MiroWin. The overall story is the tried-and-true scenario of a woman getting kidnapped by a big bad, and you are out to save her.

The first two levels that I played were enjoyable. You start out with one pistol and soon end up with two. You fight wave after wave of bad guys while you are dodging and shooting down bullets. Based on the fact that my pistols turned into high-tech automated weapons during the second level, it looks like MiroWin has a weapon progression plan in the game.

Given that this is a wave shooter, there is not a lot to explore. You pretty much stand in... Read All

Ben Paddon From PortsCenter Reviews The Mega Man Anniversary Collection

Mega Man has been ported to nearly every system and in this episode of PortsCenter Ben Paddon talks about them. I didn't know which versions were ports and which were emulated but Ben does and it makes sense when he shows the graphics side by side with the originals. The recent Anniversary Collection on Steam seems to review well but some people note some input lag on those versions but that doesn't seem to show up for everybody.

I wonder if Capcom will just release all of the Mega Man games in one pack on Steam at some point? Hopefully Dr Wright can get them to do that.

Battleborn Enters Its Twilight Period, Soon To Be In Maintenance Mode

https://cdn-enterprise.discourse.org/gearbox/uploads/default/original/4X/c/3/6/c36622954298a5290d31a9d7128d317ab616d9b8.jpg

After the upcoming Fall Update, there will be no new content for Battleborn, Gearbox's somewhat ill-fated team shooter.

The game had lukewarm reviews at launch, and the timing was all wrong. Competing with Blizzard is almost always a bad idea. After an attempt to bring in new players with a free-to-play option failed to generate new interest, Gearbox has decided to cease active development and enter maintenance mode.

The game isn't shutting down, but it's entering it's last days, with a skeleton crew remaining to keep things working properly.

As a thank you to the players, Gearbox is giving out the skin pictured above with this SHiFT code:
ZKK33-FT59R-KCK3S-XCR33-B56HB

... Read All

Humble Bundle Has Reached a Major Milestone: Over $100,000,000 in Charity Donations

Humble Bundle (or as I like to call it, "the reason my Steam library has more games than I'll ever play") launched in 2010 with a simple mission: supporting charities by giving gamers the opportunity to pay what they want for awesome games. Since then, there have been countless bundles, including new categories of bundles like books, music, movies, mobile games, and a monthly subscription bundle. Plus, they've expanded to a full game store where you can get DRM-free and Steam games while still supporting charities.

And they've reached a major milestone: over $100,000,000 in charity donations. They've helped provide water to those who need it, protected people's civil... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:08pm

Wow. Really nice I was part of that by way of getting some great games and some of that went to charity. One such game I still play now I got in a bundle was FTL and that turned out really well.

What's the game you got from a bundle you played the most Travis?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:16pm

I can't remember if I got Terraria from a bundle. If so, that one. If not, Mass Effect 2 from the Origin bundle takes that title.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:18pm

OK I just checked. I *did* get Terraria from a bundle but I already had it by that point, so I don't guess I count that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/18/2017 at 11:11pm

Right, I saw that Terraria bundle and I skipped it because I already had the game from a prior Steam sale where I bought it for something crazy like $5.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/19/2017 at 03:20am

I think I got it for the other games, plus I never mind having an extra copy of Terraria. I've given that game to like 5 people at this point. Gotta spread the love!

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Bethesda Is Releasing Doom & Wolfenstein II On The Switch

In Nintendo's livestream today they let us a know a couple Bethesda games are coming to the Switch. Skyrim is coming this November which was previously announced at E3. The latest news though is pretty interesting as Doom 2016 is coming this holiday and Wolfenstein II is coming next year. This is pretty big news for Switch owners as Nintendo, to date, hasn't really received a lot of big box third party titles and seeing Bethesda jump in is really interesting. I have questions about how good the ports play and the graphics of the games but if they work out well enough, this could be really interesting for the longevity of Switch and how certain gamers look at it.

Nintendo Stocking Many More SNES Classics & Bringing Back The NES Classic In 2018!

Looks like Nintendo is recommending people don't pickup a SNES Classic for more than $80 on the third party market. Hopefully they can stock many more units of the SNES Classic so things don't come to that but my guess is they will still have some supply issues.

"“I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites,” Fils-Aimé said. “You shouldn’t pay more than $79.99.”"

Good point but again, that's really up to Nintendo if people can get one or not. All that said, Nintendo does seem to plan on stocking more SNES Classic units this holiday season.

"Certainly the demand is there and the supply chain is there. Can we do more? It depends... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 09/12/2017 at 01:11pm

And thanks again for that tip! I think I got my preorder in literally seconds before they were out of stock.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 01:57pm

Yeah man, I was glad you got one.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:42pm

I better get a SNES classic. I have a few trackers that I am monitoring.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/14/2017 at 11:43pm

Most important question: How long are the controller cords?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/15/2017 at 02:23am

I think 5 feet this time around.

jaelte wrote on 09/15/2017 at 11:57pm

Oh good. In a moment of weakness, I did attempt to pre-order an SNES Classic from ThinkGeek, but the site timed-out on me when I tried to submit the order. It's good to know that I may have another chance to fail my will save.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/16/2017 at 02:17pm

I almost got it from a Think Geek bundle too but couldn't because of the demand. Kind of glad that didn't work out, it was expensive and I didn't want that other stuff.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/16/2017 at 02:17pm

Well.. I tried to get one on Think Geek. The site was crushed immediately.

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I Finally Beat Link Between Worlds!

jdodson gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

jdodson gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Link Between Worlds is the direct sequel to Link to the Past and a game I’ve been playing since I got my 3DS in December. It’s a good pickup and play Zelda Adventure that’s a must buy for any 3DS owner. Recently I beat it while on vacation and felt that the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the “To the Past” trilogy consisting of Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening and Link Between Worlds. The “To The Past” trilogy isn’t a formal Zelda trilogy but one I noticed as Link’s Awakening is a direct sequel to Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to that. I might be the only person to consider these three games a trilogy but I think I can handle... Read All Link Between Worlds is the direct sequel to Link to the Past and a game I’ve been playing since I got my 3DS in December. It’s a good pickup and play Zelda Adventure that’s a must buy for any 3DS owner. Recently I beat it while on vacation and felt that the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the “To the Past” trilogy consisting of Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening and Link Between Worlds. The “To The Past” trilogy isn’t a formal Zelda trilogy but one I noticed as Link’s Awakening is a direct sequel to Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to that. I might be the only person to consider these three games a trilogy but I think I can handle that.

The entire Link Between Worlds story is a direct parallel to Link to the Past. Lorule in LBW is similar, if not the same place as the Dark World in LTTP. It’s not really spelled out if Lorule is the exact same place as the Dark World in LTTP but the dungeons line up in location, theme and even boss encounters. Even though there is that built in similarity LBW verges in that it gives Lorule a bit more personality and actual characters. That said, there is a pretty fun story based switcheroo at the end that I won’t spoil even though a few dungeons away from the end I saw coming. The switch at the end isn’t particularly hidden if you are paying attention and is a fun play off the typical Zelda style story.

Like many elements of Link Between Worlds the music is heavily influenced by themes from Link to the Past but breaks new ground stylistically. The music by Ryo Nagamatsu takes the retro SNES bit themes and arranges them with live orchestra, small ensembles and an Celt flavor that really gives the game a much more earthy tone to it. The Hyrule Dungeon theme song in Link Between Worlds is based on the original theme but Nagamatsu arranges it for a modern ensemble and his choices for the natural instruments to play the parts of the 16-bit score are well made. Linked below is the original Hyrule Dungeon theme and Nagamatu’s version that shows off how well he translated and built on the original score.

Link to the Past Dungeon Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1UyVXN13SI

Link Between Worlds Hyrule Dungeon Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyn4A52jkxg (dat woodblock & trumpet!)

Nagamatu’s original music is also quite good and never felt out of place with the old themes.

Link Between Worlds is a game I plan on coming back to which is one of the highest bits of praise I have. I really hope Nintendo rereleases this on the Switch so more people can play it because it’s such a sharp game worthy of more attention. If the past Zelda games are an indicator Nintendo should rerelease it, it’s just a matter of time. I’m not entirely sure if Link Between Worlds is a reason in itself to buy a 3DS but if you were close to picking one up and were a huge Link to the Past fan, i’d check it out. The Link Between Worlds game cart doesn’t seem to be available from Nintendo new so I picked it up used on Amazon but it’s also available digitally from the 3DS shop.